Expedition Details

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Chart the course of history
traveling along the legendary
Silk Road aboard the Golden Eagle
Trans-Siberian Express. Follow in the footsteps
of merchants, Mongols, and princes,
as we travel from Moscow to the ancient
oasis cities of Central Asia, visiting four
countries and six UNESCO World Heritage
sites. See the tiled domes of Bukhara and
Samarkand, and venture into mud-brick
towns that evoke the camel caravans
of old.

Trip Highlights

Step back in time at Turkmenistan’s World
Heritage sites, Nisa and Merv.

Take a tour of Moscow’s Red Square at
night, and meet a Russian cosmonaut.

Hear the dramatic tales of the emirs of
Bukhara on a visit to their fortress palace.

Enjoy a meal in an authentic yurt in the
mountains outside Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Itinerary - 14 Days

Days 1, 2, & 3 — U.S./Moscow, Russia

Depart for Moscow on an overnight flight and
check into our centrally located hotel. After
time to relax, gather for a welcome dinner. Meet
your local guide the next morning for a full day’s
exploration of Moscow. On a city tour, see the
State Duma building, where Russia’s lower house
of parliament meets; the Bolshoi Theater; and
the notorious Lubyanka prison, former headquarters
of the KGB. Take in sweeping views
from Lomonosov Moscow State University, and
visit the mighty Kremlin, the locus of Russian
and Soviet power since the 12th century. See
its three cathedrals where tsars were baptized,
crowned, and buried; and peruse the collection of
Fabergé eggs and other imperial treasures at the
Armory. Visit the monument to the Conquerors
of Space, which sweeps some 360 feet into the
sky. Delve into the history of space exploration
at the recently updated Memorial Museum of
Astronautics, and enjoy a specially arranged talk
by a Russian cosmonaut. After dinner at a local
restaurant, take a tour of Red Square and see St.
Basil’s Cathedral, whose whimsical, many-colored
onion domes dazzle against the night sky.
Lotte Hotel Moscow (D;B,L,D)

Days 4 & 5 — Moscow/Volgograd

Settle into your cabin aboard our luxurious train
and journey to Volgograd, known as Stalingrad
during the Soviet era. It was here that Russian
forces turned back the German offensive—Hitler’s
first major defeat and a turning point in World
War II. At the Mamayev Kurgan war memorial
and museum, learn about the battle’s devastating
effect on the city. Tonight, we continue towards
Central Asia.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D daily)

Day 6 — Karakum Desert, Kazakhstan

Enter Kazakhstan and round the north end of the
Caspian Sea. As we roll across the vast Karakum
(Black Sands) Desert, one of the most challenging
stretches for travelers on the Silk Road, take in
sweeping views and perhaps spot a camel or two.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D)

Day 7 — Khiva, Uzbekistan

Once the capital of a khanate, Khiva reached its
apex as a thriving trading post on the Silk Road
between the 17th and 19th centuries. A trip into its
historic center, the World Heritage site of Itchan
Kala, is a journey back in time. Merchants haggle
amid tiled clay mosques and madrasas that date
back hundreds of years. Stroll through this splendid
old city to witness the harmony of its planning
and admire some of the most exquisite Islamic
architecture in Central Asia.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D)

Days 8 & 9 — Ashgabat and Merv, Turkmenistan

Brimming with golden domes, soaring minarets,
and futuristic skyscrapers, modern Ashgabat is
largely the creation of Turkmenistan’s charismatic
leader, the late Turkmenbashi. Visit the National
Museum of History and Ethnography and the
nearby ruins of Nisa, the capital of the ancient
Parthian Empire, one of the Roman Empire’s
great rivals. The following day, explore Merv, the
oldest oasis city along the Silk Road in Central
Asia and an important center of Islamic learning
until it was sacked by the Mongols.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D daily)

Day 10 — Bukhara, Uzbekistan

Our train turns northeast to Bukhara, whose
stunning historic center has changed little since
the days when caravans passed through. Meander
down ancient lanes lined with mud-brick buildings
and merchants, and pay a visit to the Ark,
the fortified residence of the notorious emirs of
Bukhara. After a lunch of local cuisine served in
a former madrasa, visit the nearby Palace of
Moon-like Stars.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D)

Day 11 — Samarkand

Set on the edge of the Qizilqum (Red Sands)
Desert, the fabled city of Samarkand flourished
in the 14th and 15th centuries under the rule of
Tamerlane and his successors, who commissioned
spectacular mosques and madrasas
covered in blue tiles. Wander through Registan
Square, lined by monuments that represent some
of the finest examples of Islamic architecture in
the world, and see the glittering turquoise domes
of the nearby Bibi Khanum Mosque. Then marvel
at Islamic scientist and ruler Ulugh Beg’s incredible medieval observatory.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D)

Day 12 — Tashkent

Tashkent is a patchwork of Soviet-style avenues,
warrens of ancient mud-brick homes, and grand
mosques. Take a tour of this eclectic capital city, reconstructed after a devastating earthquake in April
1966, and visit the Museum of Fine Arts. Board the
train this afternoon for the final leg of our journey.Golden Eagle Trans-Siberian Express (B,L,D)

Days 13 & 14 — Almaty, Kazakhstan/U.S.

Arrive in Almaty, the burgeoning business center of
Kazakhstan, nestled in the foothills of the Tien Shan
Mountains. Visit the magnificent 170-foot wooden
Ascension Cathedral before a special lunch in a
Kazakh yurt in the mountains. Toast your Silk Road
journey at a festive farewell dinner, and transfer to
the airport the following morning. Hotel Intercontinental Almaty (B,L,D;B)